By Mr Stuart Ralph, Principal

On Wednesday, we came together as a College community to celebrate the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Service led by Fr Steven. Ashes obtained from the burning of palms collected from the previous Palm Sunday are placed on our foreheads in the Sign of the Cross.

Along with reminding us of our mortality, the ashes on Ash Wednesday are also symbolic of grief; grief from the sins we have committed. We may not always be able to resist temptation as Jesus did, but Lent provides an opportunity to reflect, pray, and repent for our sins. In doing so, many people make sacrifices or commit to life changes throughout the 40 days of Lent. It’s a time for spiritual fasting so that we can cleanse our souls and renew our faith as we prepare for the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

I would like to commend all students for the way they entered into this occasion. I am most impressed with the reverence and respect the students hold in our special services and ceremonies.

Feel The Change

Last Friday, we commissioned our student leaders for 2024 and celebrated the academic achievement of our senior students for 2023 during our Dux Ceremony.

I would like to congratulate our Year 12 students who performed exceptionally well in their TASC results; we should all be very proud of them:

20% of Year 12 Students with an ATAR above 80
11% of Year 12 Students with an ATAR above 85
7.5% of Year 12 Students with an ATAR above 90

At our College assembly last Thursday, I expressed to the students that 2024 is very much #feelthechange, as 2023 saw the preparation and planning, much of which will come to fruition in 2024. On Friday afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit the male Rite Journey sessions with our Year 9 students. After teaching the Rite Journey for over a decade I am excited, not only for the College but also for our current students, as our mentor teachers have hit the ground running and have a clear talent to make a difference in the lives of our students.

The Rite Journey

Last week, our Rite Journey Coordinator, Mrs Maria Windsor, sent out an invitation to our parent community. It is important that parents attend the information session on Monday night as you will play a pivotal role in your child's Rite Journey.

Steve Biddulph writes about the Rite Journey:

“Teenagers need to be actively taught how to be good adults, and that some kind of active process has to happen to get them across the line. That definite teaching and some kind of “rite of passage” help to bring home to them the honour and responsibility of becoming an adult and how special that is. Thinking about what kind of man or woman you want to be can help when they are put in difficult or risky situations, as all young people are.

Teenagers have all the great things you have given them while growing up, but something is needed to bring this all together and say ‘You are now beginning adulthood’. It has to be something solid, spread over time, and involve teachers and parents working together to make it meaningful. There’s a lot to learn about being an adult, making choices, being independent, and not expecting mum and dad to look after you all your life”.

For more information about the Rite Journey please visit the following link: https://theritejourney.com/

Monday evening will provide you with greater insight into the program, an opportunity to meet your child's mentor, and gain an understanding of what your child's journey will look like in 2024.

Welcome BBQ for New Families

This coming Tuesday evening is our Welcome BBQ for new families to the College. New families will be provided with the opportunity to meet with our Leadership Team, your child's House Head, and Homeroom teacher. Nibbles, a BBQ, and refreshments will be provided. Please register your attendance using the following Google Form: https://sbsc.me/3SZCfd8

Senior School Course Options

This year, our senior College is 25% larger, along with a number of students attending from other colleges to participate in our VET (Vocational Education and Training), and I congratulate Mrs Natalie Healey for her leadership and expertise in growing our VET program and providing exciting offerings for our students.

Strategic Plan

After engaging with our College Community in 2023, I am excited to share our St Brendan-Shaw College Strategic Plan (2024-2028). 

Strategic Plan link: https://sbsc.me/3SFRAy7

Sports

NSATIS Basketball kicked off for our senior girls and boys, both recording wins over Scotch Oakburn on Wednesday evening. Our NSATIS Tennis team also played Scotch Oakburn. This Saturday, our NSATIS Basketball teams will be again in action in Launceston, playing St Patrick’s College, Launceston Grammar, and the return game against Scotch Oakburn College.

Our rowing students will compete at Lake Barrington this weekend, and we wish them well. A busy month lies ahead for our rowers in competition culminating with the Head of the River on 16 March.

We congratulate Trent Steven, who has been selected for the Tasmanian Indigenous Cricket Team and will travel to Alice Springs to compete in the National Indigenous Cricket Carnival this month.

Finally, we look forward to coming together for the College Athletics Carnival next Wednesday and Thursday.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Stuart Ralph
Principal

Students and staff who missed school photo day last Tuesday, 13 February, are asked to attend the catch-up photo session next Friday, 23 February, from 12:50pm.

Families who ordered family/sibling photos and were absent or unable to attend can also be taken at this time. 

Please note that family photo orders closed at 4.30pm on Monday, 12 February, and unfortunately, any family photos ordered after the cut-off date will not be taken.

Individual Student Photos

Individual student photo ordering will stay open after photo day. However, please be aware that orders placed after the bulk of printing has been completed will be sent directly from Leading Image School Photos to parents and incur a postage charge per order.

Individual photos can be placed online at www.leadingimage.com.au using the SBSC Access Key provided to parents/guardians by email on Thursday, 8 February 2024. 

Please be aware that when selecting a class for your child, we ask that you please use your child's homeroom number.

Immunisation is one of the most significant public health interventions in our community. To ensure your child receives the best protection from vaccine-preventable disease, make sure your child is up to date with their immunisations provided by the National Immunisation Program.

The Devonport City Council’s immunisation team will be providing immunisations to Year 7 students this year.

The following vaccines will be provided:

Year 7

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – one dose
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Whooping Cough (Pertussis) dTpa – one dose
  

Year 10

• Meningococcal ACWY – one dose

All consent forms must be returned. You must either consent to your child receiving the immunisation by marking ‘YES’ on the consent form or refuse by marking ‘NO’ on the consent form. Parents who return a consent indicating ‘NO’ to vaccination will not be contacted.

The consent form must be returned by Friday, March 1, 2024.

Let the College know as soon as possible if your child will be absent on the day of immunisation.

Parents/guardians are not required to attend with their children on Immunisation day.
If your child misses the immunisation day, please contact the immunisation service provider to organise a catch-up vaccination (03) 6424 0511.

If you have any questions, please contact Council’s Health Department on 6424 0511.

Chess Club meets on Tuesday (Week 1) at lunchtime at St Mary Mackillop courtyard. All students and staff members are invited to come along and practise their game skills and strategies with people who share a similar passion for Chess. 

New players are welcome to come along and join in the fun. Our experienced players are willing to teach new players how to play, and they are more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise regarding a variety of opening moves, powerful attacks, defences and powerful winning strategies.

At Chess Club, you may also like to join our Chess Team that represents SBSC during Interschool Chess Tournaments that take place once per Term at participating schools in Tasmania.

Students interested in joining SBSC's Chess Club this year, please email Ms Martinez at imartinez@sbsc.tas.edu.au or join us at lunchtime on Tuesday (Week 1) at St Mary Mackillop Courtyard.

Students travelling to school by car should be dropped off in a safe area. The following guidelines are for the use of the Drop-Off Zone at the James Street entrance and are aimed at improving safety.

Parents/Guardians are asked to familiarise themselves with the following Drop-Off zone guidelines:

• The Drop-Off Zone starts at the pedestrian crossing and is marked as the lane to the left of the pedestrian buffer area.
• It is designed to operate as a quick-moving taxi rank.
• Please stay in the queue and move forward as space becomes available, moving towards the western exit side. This allows vehicles to move in at the back of the queue and reduces backup and congestion on James St.
  
• Please remain in the car while in the Zone and have students place school bags and other items in the car, not in the boot.
• If parents/carers choose to wait in the Zone before the end of classes at the end of the school day, it is essential that their child/ren arrive promptly; otherwise, the Zone will not flow freely.
• There is a staff presence near the James Street Drop Off Zone from 8:10 am and 3:00pm.
• Please also note that the exit to James St is a left-hand turn only.

Important: Building works are currently underway on Tuition Admin and the area from George Street to the Tuition Admin building is not accessible for either foot or vehicle access (maintenance vehicles excluded) for the duration of the building works, with gates being installed. For safety reasons, we ask that students do not enter the College grounds from the George Street entrances.

Our goal is to keep everyone safe when using this area, so please be considerate of others and observe speed limits and pedestrian crossings.

Thank you for your support.

By Whitney Banfield, Careers Advisor

Work Expereience (Years 10-12)
A work experience information session will be held on Monday, 26 February, at recess in the TW room for interested Years 10- 12 students. Work experience is run during the school holidays and is predominantly organised by the student but facilitated by the school.

Tasmania Police (Years 10-12)
The Tasmania Police information session will be held at lunchtime on Monday, 4 March, in the TW Room. Students in Years 10, 11 & 12 are welcome to attend.

Australian National University (Years 11-12)
Australian National University (ANU) will attend the College to hold an information session on Friday, 8 March, at 11am for Year 11 and 12 students interested in ANU.

University of Tasmania
A UTAS information session will be held at lunchtime on Thursday, 21 March, with session details to be provided to senior students by email closer to the date.

Should you have any questions regarding the above sessions or any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Careers Advisor, Whitney Banfield wbanfield@sbsc.tas.edu.au

Expressions of interest are now open for students from Years 7-10 who wish to participate in the Devon Netball roster for 2023. We ask that parents/guardians please fill out the Google Form using the button below.

Please note the requirements specified by Devon Netball at the top of the form.

Devonport Gymnastics Classes have resumed for 2024 and have class availability for all ages and abilities. 

Have you been thinking of gymnastics as a sport for your child? Devonport Gymnastics Club caters to both recreational (non-competitive) and competitive gymnasts through our fundamentals, club levels, and national levels programs. 

Devonport Gymnastics allows your child to learn and develop new skills through tailored programs in a safe and fun environment. Suitable for ages from walking through to adult, utilising high-quality gymnastics apparatus and equipment, in a custom-built facility, we offer qualified coaches accredited with Gymnastics Australia and hold current Working with Vulnerable People checks. 

Devonport Gymnastics Club accepts Ticket to Play vouchers. The club has a long successful history in Tasmanian gymnastics, producing many state champions and Tasmanian and Australian national team members.

Our class timetable can be viewed by clicking on the button below, and all enrolments can be made online.